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Unearthed document sheds light on Everton's failed Revie bid
A half-century-old contract discovered in a family filing cabinet has revealed how close Everton came to signing Leeds United legend Don Revie in 1973-before he opted to stay at Elland Road.
Discovery in a Wirral bungalow
The unsigned agreement was found last summer by the stepdaughter of George Watts, Everton's former chairman and financial director. Watts, who died in 1988, had left behind a steel filing cabinet filled with club documents, including a brown envelope marked 'Everton: Season Ticket Sales'.
Inside were flight schedules to Athens and multiple copies of a typed contract-one annotated in Watts' handwriting-outlining a seven-year deal for Revie to replace Harry Catterick, Everton's most successful manager.
Everton's lucrative offer
The proposed contract, dated June 1973, included an annual salary of £15,500 (equivalent to £240,000 today), performance bonuses, a club-provided car, and a house within 25 miles of Goodison Park valued between £20,000 and £40,000. Revie would have had the option to buy the property at Everton's purchase price or rent it for £6 per week.
At the time, Revie was at the peak of his managerial career, having transformed Leeds from Second Division also-rans into two-time league champions, FA Cup winners, and two-time Fairs Cup victors. Everton, seeking a successor to the ailing Catterick, viewed him as the ideal candidate.
"When you get Don Revie's name being bandied around, you think, 'We'll have a bit of that-someone at the top who knows what they're doing and who is a winner.'"
Ronny Goodlass, former Everton winger
Revie's hesitation and the Athens twist
Negotiations appeared to gain momentum in May 1973, when Revie met Everton owner John Moores at his villa in the south of France. Days later, Revie was spotted in a gold Mercedes near Moores' home in Freshfield, Formby, just hours before flying to Greece with Leeds for the Cup Winners' Cup final against AC Milan.
Leeds players later revealed they believed the deal was all but done. "Don was gone," said Richard Sutcliffe, author of Revie Revered and Reviled. "Trevor Cherry told me everyone on the flight to Thessaloniki thought it was a done deal. The atmosphere was depressed."
Yet Revie left the contract unsigned. After Leeds' defeat to Milan, he holidayed in Greece, leaving both clubs in limbo. A Liverpool Echo report from May 25, 1973, hinted at the uncertainty, while handwritten notes in the unearthed files showed Everton's board had booked flights to Athens in a final attempt to secure his signature.
Why Revie stayed at Leeds
Revie ultimately rejected Everton's offer for "personal reasons," phoning Leeds director Percy Woodward from his Greek holiday to confirm his decision. Billy Bingham was appointed Everton manager instead.
Former Leeds midfielder Eddie Gray suggested Revie's move was a tactical ploy to pressure the Elland Road board. "Don was very shrewd in financial matters," Gray said. "He and his wife knew how to deal with directors. I don't think he ever intended to leave-just to put pressure on the board."
Revie had form for such manoeuvres, having previously rebuffed approaches from Sunderland, Birmingham City, and Italian clubs Juventus and Torino. His ties to Leeds-where he had managed since 1961-proved stronger than Everton's financial lure.
"The ties with Leeds United, the players, the staff, and the directors who let me manage... They were the first club to give me the chance. This is when I decided to stay."
Don Revie, in a 1973 BBC interview
What if Revie had joined Everton?
The near-move raises tantalising hypotheticals. Had Revie signed, Leeds might have turned to Brian Clough in 1973 instead of enduring his infamous 44-day reign the following year. Everton, meanwhile, could have avoided their mid-1970s slump, with Revie's tactical acumen potentially delivering the league title they narrowly missed in 1975.
Revie went on to lead Leeds to another league championship in 1974 before becoming England manager later that year. His unsigned Everton contract, meanwhile, remained hidden in a Wirral filing cabinet for 52 years-a relic of football's most intriguing "what if."
